LUCE estratti LUCE 318_Della Longa_Duomo di Gemona del Friuli | Page 7

A new light for
the Duomo of Gemona
del Friuli
T
he Cathedral of Gemona del Friuli, one
of the finest examples of Gothic in the north
east of the country, suffered the ravages of the
1976 earthquake. The violence of the seism tore
the old building apart, knocking the steeple
and most of the right aisle to the ground. With
the main nave saved, albeit dangerously bent,
the wounded Duomo thus showed its interior.
Thanks to the substantial structural
interventions that deeply anchored the masonry
to the ground, the building was frozen in the
dramatic disruption caused by the earthquake.
The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta has thus
become one of the landmark buildings of the
reconstruction in Friuli.
Among the undertaken actions, there was the
removal of the remnants of the past lighting
system, which were replaced by projectors.
This new system favoured the architecture,
but gave little care to the devotional and ritual
complexity of this important church.
The recent works have sought to re-enhance
the old church. The main intervention involved
the upgrade of the artificial lighting and
support networks. The project took care not
only of the architecture, but sought to return
a worthy habitat to its ecclesial function.
A project that thus responds in an articulate
way to the complexity and to the varied use
of a notable church that, like many others
in Italy, is both a cultural heritage and a cultic
heritage. A careful distribution of lighting
devices and electrical infrastructures contains
the actual visual impact of the new
technologies, while a digital management
system enables an effective lighting distribution
and adjustment, in accordance with the
scenarios program defined with the client.
This way of acting – that is fair to say – is not
at all uncommon when working on a project
that involves churches. We must say, however,
Coppia di pendenti nello spazio del Duomo /
Pair of hanging luminaires in the Duomo
70
LUCE 318 / PROGETTARE LA LUCE
that the common background is far from
being exemplary: most lighting interventions
on churches – among them also some famous
ones – are driven by urgencies of regulatory
compliance in relation to the safety, ignoring
the quality of light.
I here wish to focus on one of the many factors
at play when dealing with the new artificial
light in historicized contexts: that of the choice
between integrated luminaires – which blend
in the architecture and are almost invisible –
and those in which the devices are shown.
In the preface to his well-known manual
on the architecture of light, Francesco Bianchi
leaves no room for alternatives: “when it come
to lighting, the first thing one has to learn
is that a surface must be lit without making
the light source visible” (Architettura della luce,
Kappa, Roma 1991, ed.)
Without foreclosing to a direction that offers
attractive prospects, in the specific case
of historical churches I have repeatedly
observed the consequences and the risks
of a praxis – appreciated by clients and
superintendents – that almost seems to have
no alternatives in our country.
This concealment practice is usually chosen
in historical contexts more for convenience
than for suitability.
However, the impossibility of concealing
the lighting devices is not unusual. In this
particular case, the old Cathedral does not
have frames or overhangs suitable to hold the
lighting equipments; thus, the model for which
the lamps themselves – the modern projectors
– are hidden from sight, or just peeking
out from the decorative apparatus of the
architecture, can not be applied.
Invasive. In the field of cultural heritage,
it is customary to use this word, taken from
the medical jargon, to discriminate what
is not compatible from what is. Usually – even
though there are opposite cases – a concealed
or partially concealed appliance does not
appear as such, whereas a new one placed
in plain sight could be considered, a priori,
invasive. I think that we should shift the focus
on the meaning of things.
In this project, I have defended a line of work:
that of the presence of new lighting fixtures
in a historical context. In this specific case,
and despite the concerns of various
stakeholders, I felt it was the right option
to pursue. In Gemona I chose to illuminate
the nave as the ancients – who did not have
lighting projectors – would have done.
Until recent times, it was a rather usual
manner: lamps hanging from the archway,
bringing the light close to the faithful.
This is the oldest form of illumination, and
it can now be reviewed in accordance with
the technological evolution and with a new
object-lamp designed for this purpose.
It is a device made up of a thick aluminium
perforated disc – whose design is borrowed
from archaic light crowns –, conceived to
dissipate the heat produced by the LED,
and a changing light diffuser made of expanded
plate. This special appliance was produced
by Reggiani Illuminazione. In 1974, Gio Ponti
designed for the company the 458, a floor lamp
with a cylindrical lampshade made of anodized
aluminium expanded foil. This element,
which Ponti also used in the Co-cathedral
of Taranto, has provided the inspiration
for the diffuser that distributes the light
of this new lamp.
Among the naves of the old cathedral, the
suspended units give new light to the faithful.
Their long vertical steel cables reveal the heeling
of the walls and record what has happened
in a renewed dialogue with the ancient.
The recent inauguration of the new lighting
anticipated the celebration of the
reconstruction, forty years after the earthquake;
inside the Cathedral, the most touching
memorial events were held. In the aftermath
of the opening, the local press focused precisely
on the modern chandeliers. I prefer to think
of them as instrument capable of providing,
across time, answers of light.
Disegno di lavoro per la realizzazione del pendente /
Drawing for the design of the hanging luminaire